Scale of Labour defeat to decide Brown's fate

By
Euronews

On the day voters in the UK go to the polls in European and local elections British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is facing a rebellion by his own backbench MPs. Reeling from a string of ministerial level resignations the beleagured prime minister is now facing a covert email campaign aimed at unseating him.

Many political commentators believe the decision by Communities Secretary Hazel Blears to quit her post on the eve of vital elections was a deliberate attempt to destabilise Brown. But senior figures in the Cabinet have rallied to the prime minister’s cause, taking some of the sting out of the cyber coup attempt which is canvassing Labour MPs for enough support to trigger a party leadership battle

At Prime Minister’s question time in the House of Commons, Gordon Brown said: “The past few weeks have been difficult for every member on every side of this House. I think people have got to recognise in the politicking that goes on that there have been enormous pressures on people, and while the public have been angry there have also been family pressures on members of this House.”

As Gordon Brown seeks to blame the media frenzy for the resignation of the Home Secretary, two junior ministers and a senior aide, it seems his fate will depend on the scale of Labour’s defeat in the polls, as victory now appears to be an impossibility.